Sunnan
an-Nasai
سنن النسائي
The Book of Praying for Rain (Al-Istisqa')
كتاب الاستسقاء
Chapter 18: Imam raising his hands when asking for rain to stop
باب رَفْعِ الإِمَامِ يَدَيْهِ عِنْدَ مَسْأَلَةِ إِمْسَاكِ الْمَطَرِ
Sunnan an-Nasai 1528
It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said
"There was a drought during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). While the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was giving the Khutbah on the minbar one Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said: 'O Messenger of Allah wealth has been destroyed and our children are hungry; pray to Allah for us.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands, and we could not see even a wisp of a cloud in the sky, but by the One in Whose hand is my soul, he did not lower (his hands) before clouds like mountains appeared, and he did not come down from his minbar before we saw the rain dripping from his beard. It rained that day and the next day, and the day after, until the following Friday. Then that Bedouin"- or he said, "Someone else"- "stood up and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, buildings have been destroyed and wealth has drowned; pray to Allah ﷻ for us. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands and said: 'O Allah, around us and not on us.' He did not point in any direction but the clouds dispersed, until Al-Madinah became like a hole. And the valleys ran with water and no one came from any direction but he told us of the heavy rains."أَخْبَرَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو عَمْرٍو الأَوْزَاعِيُّ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ أَصَابَ النَّاسُ سَنَةٌ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَبَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَخْطُبُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَامَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَلَكَ الْمَالُ وَجَاعَ الْعِيَالُ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ لَنَا . فَرَفَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدَيْهِ وَمَا نَرَى فِي السَّمَاءِ قَزَعَةً وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا وَضَعَهَا حَتَّى ثَارَ سَحَابٌ أَمْثَالُ الْجِبَالِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ عَنْ مِنْبَرِهِ حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ الْمَطَرَ يَتَحَادَرُ عَلَى لِحْيَتِهِ فَمُطِرْنَا يَوْمَنَا ذَلِكَ وَمِنَ الْغَدِ وَالَّذِي يَلِيهِ حَتَّى الْجُمُعَةِ الأُخْرَى فَقَامَ ذَلِكَ الأَعْرَابِيُّ أَوْ قَالَ غَيْرَهُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ تَهَدَّمَ الْبِنَاءُ وَغَرِقَ الْمَالُ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ لَنَا . فَرَفَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدَيْهِ فَقَالَ " اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلاَ عَلَيْنَا " . فَمَا يُشِيرُ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى نَاحِيَةٍ مِنَ السَّحَابِ إِلاَّ انْفَرَجَتْ حَتَّى صَارَتِ الْمَدِينَةُ مِثْلَ الْجَوْبَةِ وَسَالَ الْوَادِي وَلَمْ يَجِئْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ نَاحِيَةٍ إِلاَّ أَخْبَرَ بِالْجَوْدِ .
